For Best Vehicles Of Year, Look Toward Tokyo Not Detroit

October 14, 1989|By Bob Sikorsky

It`s time again for the ``Pick of the Pack`` awards, which recognize the best of the 65-odd vehicles I have tested during the past year. The awards place high emphasis on value received for dollar spent, while considering styling, consumer appeal, economy, performance, innovation, handling and craftsmanship.

This week, the Picks of the Import Pack:

-- Best Import Van: Mazda MPV. An aerodynamic and quiet masterpiece, the MPV departs from van tradition with its conventional hinged door in lieu of the accepted sliding door on the passenger side. Offered with either the standard 4-cylinder, 2.6-liter, 121 horsepower engine or the optional 3-liter, 18-valve, V-6 (150 horsepower). At the time I reviewed it, I noted: ``It whooshes down the road silently -- almost eerily -- at highway speeds. Nimble of foot for a multipurpose vehicle, it`s always a pleasure to drive. Quiet and graceful; smooth and powerful; practical, roomy and accommodating; it`s the kind of van that would make you think twice about buying a car.`` Base price: $13,759

-- Best Specialty Sports Hatchback/Sedan: Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo. This little rocket was a blast to drive. Its 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder, 135 horsepower turbocharged engine moves the car to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds. But I`d swear it was a lot faster. I noted earlier: ``If one shifts correctly and at the right engine speeds, a honeylike flow of power is delivered to the wheels -- the power transition from gear to gear and the shift points are barely noticeable.`` Base price for the turbo: $11,969; basic 4-door sedan: $8,859.

-- Best Sports Coupe: Nissan 240 SX. Outfitted with its all-new super quiet 2.4-liter, SOHC 4-cylinder engine, the 140-horsepower new Nissan is being touted as the reincarnation of the 240Z, one of Nissan`s most successful and popular cars. Base price $13,249.

With its front-engine, rear-wheel-drive configuration the SX tackles any road challenge with power, grace and ease. I wrote: ``The Nissan 240 SX will more than hold its own among the competition. It is a lot of sports car, but don`t worry, you can handle it.``

-- Best Import Economy Car: Subaru Justy GL. Subaru chose the Justy GL to introduce its revolutionary Electronic Continuously Variable Transmission (ECVT), the first real change in transmissions since the automatic was introduced some 50-odd years ago. This simple pulley-and-belt-driven transmission has a minimum of moving parts and automatically shifts without seeming to shift. That is, you don`t notice any shift points and the transmission moves smoothly from one gear to another but without the traditional bump of shift points. The transmission is so efficient it gets the same number of miles per gallon (34) as the Justy`s 5-speed manual. Base price for the GL: $7,251; add another $540 for the optional ECVT.